Last



Aug. 7, 1923. l Y 1,463,814

Y C. H. YHEL-MER ET AL' LAST {rind-Aug. 5, '1918 i Fg' v'/AVVEA/TU/QS f Fig@ I ya# Patented Ang. Y, i923.

gli

te rinviare; .fr

y CHARLES E. HELMER AND JOSEPH WEEE/UNG, OF RCl-ESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIG'NORS TO FJKTZ-EMPIRE DOUBLE PIVOT LAST CMFANY, OF AUBURN, MAINE, A CORPO- RATION OF .MINE

LAST.

Application led August 5, i918. Serial No. 248,473.`

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that'we, CHARLES H. Hnrarnn and Josnrrr liVm-mons, citizens ot the United States, residing` at Rochester, inthe county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in `Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specication, like reference char 1o acters on'the drawings indicating` like parts in the several ligures.

The present invention relates to lasts, and in particular tolasts constructed oi: wood.

Wooden lasts are ordinarily turned with the grain of the wood running longitudinally and with the annual layers ot the wood substantially horizontal. This is due partly to the fact that the timber bolts from which the rough last blocks are cut work up more economically it the cone portions ot the blocks are turned toward the center, and partly to considerations ot strength in the finished last. The line joining the centers on which the last is turned in the last lathe passes through the toe tip and the approximate middle point of the heel end so that in many lasts, particularly those intended for very high-heeled shoes, the annual layer of wood which is tangent to the lowest point of the concave longitudinal curve at the upper surface of the ball will pass beneath the tip ot the toe, leaving several disk-like annual layers above it forming the toe tip. lThe top of the toe then looks like a hill on a contour map. In the use of a last in shoemaking, the inverted last is supported on a standard in several machines (sole laying, leveling, lasting, etc.) which engages it at or near the summit ott this hill7 with the result that a violent blow of the leveling roller, for instance, will often split 01T the upper layer, thus ruining` the last.

An even more frequently occurring dil licnlty is the breaking or splitting oit of the entire toe tip by, for instance, the initial blow of the leveling roller, especially in lasts where the grain runs downward and forward at the toe tip, as often happens.

An important object of our invention is the correction of the above described dititoul'ties, and an important feature or the invention is accordingly a novel organization or a last with a reinforcing member in the top o1"- its toe to. protect the upper layers of wood at this point.

This and other features of the invention comprising various combinations and arrangements of parts will be understood from the following description ot' several embodiments ci the invention selected for purposes ot illustration and shown in the drawings.

Fig. l of the drawings is a plan view of a last toe;`

Fig. 2 is a broken-away side view of a last, slotted in accordance with our invention, with the reinforcing member;

F 3 is a similar view showing another form ol' the slot and reinforcing` member;

Fig. e shows a broken last toe;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the construction of Fig. 2; f i

F 6 is aperspective view of the reinit'orcing member of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a view like Fig. 2 but showning the reinforcing* member in place; p

`Fig. 8' is a 'similar view relating to'ithe reinforcing` member oit' Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan of the Fig. 3 construction.

Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the 'drawings illustrate a last i'or a high-heeled shoe. The line ot centers of the last lathe is shown at l0. This line is nearly or quite `parallel to the grain of the wood. ln a last oi the type illustrated this line is at a considerable anole with the iioor line and therefore the ojrzin layers of the wood outcrop at the top oi the toe as shown at l2. The upper layer at lll is oiten broken outin the shoe-makina;A operations, particularly those involving support for the inverted last at this point such as the leveling operation.

lig. d illustrates the second ditiicultv described. rilhe last there shown had a 'twist in its grain running` downward and forward at the toe tip and was broken by the initial stroke oi the leveling roller. l

@ur invention provides for the correction oit these diiiiculties among1 others. We preferably form a longitudinal vertical slot centrally in the toe of the last as at 18, and insert in it a piece or" hard wood 2O (we have found hickory and persimmon eXcellent for the purpose), with the grain running preferably parallel to the tread surtace as shown by the line 1l. The toe supporting posts of the sole laying, lasting and leveling machines will engage this member and will not have the tendency to split off the contacting portions of it, since its grain runs back into the insert instead of lying parallel to the surface at this point, as it does in the main body of the last. The instrumentalities which strike the sole face of the last, such as the leveling roller, will strike this insert crossivise of its grain and will not be able to shear it off, as is often done to the toe tip of the unreinforced last as shown in Fig. 4L.

The inserted piece 2O extends clear through the toe from top to bottom, at its thickest part and thus forms the highest and lowest part of the toe, taking a prominent part in the resistance to compressive stresses exerted on the toe. It also effectively ties together the grain in the toesince its grain runs at a considerable angle with the grain of the main body of the last at this point as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and thus secures the toe against splitting from any cause.

It has beenproposed to insert a round dowel longitudinally into the'toe, but this practice does not secure the advantages of our invention. In the first place, the curved surface of the doivel acts as a Wedge and tends to split the last toe under certain kinds of stress, and in the second place, it does not tie the fibers together across the toe or protect the upper surface of the toe.

As far as the difficulty of the splitting off of the upper annual layer of wood is concerned, it is not necessary that the reinforcing piece extend to the tread face. It need only be inserted in the top of the toe and have its `grain at an angle to that of the Wood there.

We have shown two Ways of keying the insert 20 into the toe. Figs. 2, 5. and 6 show a double rib near the bottom of the insert 2O which co-operates with asimilar pair of slots or mortises in the last toe. Figs. 3, 8

and 9 show a small dovvel 24 let into both the toe and the insert 20. The insert Will be firmly fastened in position, as by gluing or cementing.

Having described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. A last having a reinforcing member in the top of its toe, the last and member having registering grooves, and a binder inserted in the grooves.

2. A last having a reinforcing member eX- tending entirely through the toe from one surface thereof to that opposite, the member and the last having registering grooves and a holding member mounted in the grooves.

3. A Wooden last having a toe reinforcing member constructed and arranged to tie the Wood fibers together transversely entirely across the toe from the top to the bottom of the toe, the member and the last having facing grooves, and a dotvel mounted in the grooves.

4. A last having a reinforcing member extending through the toe from one surface to that opposite and a binding member embedded in the joint between the reinforcing member and the main ldody of the last.

5. A last having a binding member in its forepart extending through the ytoe from one surface to that opposite, the member and the main body of the last having registering grooves, and a binder inserted in the grooves.

6. A last having a reinforcing member extending entirely through the toe from one surface thereof to that opposite, one of said parts being provided With a groove and the other part with a holding member mounted in said groove. i

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES H. HELMER. JOSEPH WTEHRUNG. 

